Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Three weeks later, Diluc still has Ajax’s damned jacket.

He’d forgotten to give it back when he was leaving the party, sure, but Ajax had never asked. Kazuha questions what the jacket is one time, and Diluc can’t even bring himself to explain.

It isn’t that he hasn’t seen Ajax—in fact, the opposite, he’s seen Ajax plenty. He sees him when Ajax visits the café, on campus between classes, when he’s out with Kaeya, at even once at the mall. Seeing him is enjoyable. His internal crisis over wanting to be unable to stand Ajax has lessened, but not disappeared completely. At least he can admit to himself that he is absolutely crushing, though.

He sees Ajax often enough that it almost becomes part of his daily routine, seeing as Ajax stops by his place of work what feels like nearly every time he’s in and their class schedules are quite similar. However, none of those times does he have the jacket on him. It’s too bulky to want to stuff into his bag and keep on him all day, and he can’t exactly predict when he might run into the other man, so he doesn’t ever bring it.

Finally, he caves and texts Ajax. They’ve only texted briefly a few times, first with Ajax sending the game schedule then a couple texts after the party when Ajax had wanted to make sure he’d gotten home safely.

Diluc sends ‘want me to drop off ur jacket?’

Ajax reads it immediately and replies ‘meh! just give it to me next time you see me ;-)’.

So, at least Diluc doesn’t feel like he’s hoarding it. Clearly, Ajax couldn’t care less about whether or not he has it, so there’s no harm done.

A week goes by and he still hasn’t managed to give it back, even though he sees Ajax a few more times during that week. It’s always when they’re already out, The stupid thing is starting to haunt him, hung up on the handle of his closet.

An unexpected solution to his problem appears in the form of a text from Tighnari that reads ‘Volleyball game tomorrow morning. You should come w/ me… Cyno said Ajax told him he asked you to come sometime’

Diluc sends back ‘what time?’

Tighnari replies ‘9:30. I can pick you up at 8:30 if you’re coming’

He has been meaning to go to one since Ajax had asked, and especially more now that he’s been seeing him so often. It would be fun to see Ajax in his element, he suspects.

So, he replies ‘ok. see u then’

And then, an idea hits him. It’s a perfect time to give the jacket back to Ajax, since he knows that he’ll be seeing him. Plus, in addition to Ajax’s name and number on the jacket, their school’s logo decorates it. He’s not exactly one for school spirit, but it can’t hurt to wear.

When the next morning comes, he dresses himself in an outfit fitting his usual style, then pulls the jacket over top.

Immediately, he feels ridiculous. The jacket is big enough on him to be awkward, but not in a flatteringly oversized sort of way, just stiff fabric hanging from his shoulders. It contrasts heavily with his jewelry and black outfit, making him look disorganized. But, more than anything, it’s the bold letters spelling out Ajax’s name that are embarrassing. He’s about to take it off when there’s a knock on his door.

Instead of taking the jacket off, he opens the door to Tighnari, who widens his eyes immediately.

“Holy shit, you still have that? I didn’t think you had the guts to do something like this,” his friend comments, approving more than anything else.

With Tighnari saying that, Diluc can’t back out now. Ugh.

“I need to give it back anyway. I may as well.”

“May as well advertise your relationship to the whole team?”

“We’re not dating.” Diluc rolls his eyes, picking up his bag. They begin walking out to Tighnari’s car while continuing their conversation.

“Not yet.”

Tighnari walks around to the other side of the car, practically shouting over it.

“I still want to get to know him better,” he huffs as he gets into the passenger seat.

“Then go on a date with him.” Tighnari shrugs, starting to drive.

“I’m not asking him on a date.”

“Your loss. Maybe I’ll get Cyno to encourage him to ask you.”

“Maybe he’s not even interested in an actual relationship with me, you know how people like that can be. He might just think I’m good-looking and nothing more.”

Diluc still does not think Ajax is the type of person to play someone. They both know that, because he would never have feelings for that type of person. It’s verified more now than his assumption before of Ajax being a good person due to being Kaeya’s friend—Diluc has verified it firsthand. But, still, there is a doubt that Ajax feels the same way for him, and it is still far too early to do anything bold.

Tighnari snorts and doesn’t say anything else. Diluc settles into the silence with another huff, sinking back in Tighnari’s car seat.

They arrive at the gym when the teams are still warming up, ten minutes before the game begins. Tighnari guides them through to a set of good seats, clearly experienced from going to practically all of Cyno’s games. Their spot is pretty close to the court, and from this distance, it’s easy to see the focused look on Ajax’s face even as he simply practices.

Diluc taps his fingers on his thigh to distract himself from how attractive that is. Not to mention that he looks good in the volleyball uniform too. He cares much more for the fact that Ajax is a good person with a likable personality, but his good looks certainly add to it.

Good person with a likable personality? When did he start thinking of Ajax like that? Ugh.

“Glad I invited you to come?” Tighnari teases, undoubtedly noticing Diluc’s blatant staring.

“Be quiet.”

One of Ajax’s teammates, the brunet boy that he’d seen at the party, bumps Ajax’s shoulder and points in Diluc’s direction.

Ajax turns to look at him. His eyes go comically wide along with his mouth dropping into an ‘o’. Cheeks flushing pink, he coughs and looks away, only to get a ball straight to the chest.

Diluc winces. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like that hard of an impact, but the way Ajax stumbles makes it clear that it had been at least a little painful. He feels partially responsible.

“No interest in you my ass,” Tighnari mutters under his breath, though still very much loud enough for Diluc to hear clearly.

“He’s pathetic,” a voice pipes up from beside Tighnari.

Tighnari himself isn’t very tall, but even his height had been enough to fully conceal the other man from sight. Once Diluc notices him, he recognizes him straight away by his unusual haircut. The bowl-cut guy from the party, who had been with the brunet now standing next to Ajax on the court. Huh.

His appearance is noticeably different than it had been at the party, now with dark eyeliner and more jewelry than even Diluc is wearing.

“Pathetic how?” Diluc asks, curious what the guy means by that.

“You literally just watched him take a volleyball to the chest because he was focused on you. Trust me, if he had a tail, it would be wagging whenever he sees you.”

Beside him, Tighnari laughs at bowl-cut guy’s response.

“Are you two friends? You speak like you know him well,” Diluc replies, watching bowl-cut guy’s entire face scrunch up in disgust.

“We are not friends. I just have to deal with him because he’s on the swim team with me.”

His tone is grating enough as he says it that Diluc has to wonder whether or not he does genuinely dislike Ajax.

“You’re Diluc, right?” Bowl-cut guy bowls on. “Actually, I don’t know why I’m even asking. If that isn’t your name, I’d be concerned for my hearing with how often Ajax says it.”

“That is my name.”

“Good, no hearing tests needed today, then.”

Prominently, the guy does not introduce himself, nor does he ask Tighnari his name. The latter is understandable, though—Diluc figures they’ve probably already met at other games.

“Kuni,” Ajax’s brunet teammate yells up at where they’re sitting. The reaction is instantaneous. Bowl-cut guy—Kuni, he’s gathered—goes from a scowl to surprise then back into a deeper scowl within a matter of seconds.

“What? Focus on practice,” Kuni yells back. The brunet pouts, but refuses to back down.

“Blow me a good luck kiss!”

Like a cat, Kuni’s entire body scrunches up with the shock. Then, he promptly flips the brunet off, as if his ears aren’t visibly bright red.

“I am not blowing you a kiss, Sethos!”

“It’s your fault if we lose!”

Their volume continues to increase, enough to draw the attention of other onlookers, which Kuni withers under.

“It’s only your fault, you’re the one out there…”

“They do this all the time,” Tighnari supplies helpfully, unfazed by the loud bickering. He turns to Kuni. “If you want him to stop, just blow him a kiss and be on with it.”

“I’m not going to be like you with Cyno,” Kuni retorts.

“Sorry that I like to cheer my boyfriend on sometimes. You’re here for the same thing, just too embarrassed to actually do it.”

Kuni raises his middle finger again, this time at Tighnari, then whirls around to sit flat in his seat. He’s visibly sulking, lips pursed in an immature pout.

When Diluc looks back out at the court, the teams seem to be close to wrapping up their warm up, huddled together talking. A few of the team members are familiar faces—of course, like Cyno and Alhaitham, but also a few that he recognizes from the party, including Itto.

Admittedly, most of his attention is on Ajax, not examining each player thoroughly. However, though he isn’t focusing on them, it’s still obvious that everyone seems to be a little on edge. The entire team is almost tense.

“They look nervous,” Diluc comments, humming.

“It’s a big game,” Tighnari explains. “If they win this, they qualify for the regional-level competition. So, let’s hope you being here doesn't make Ajax more nervous.”

“You’re the one who suggested I come.”

“Yeah, I think you’ll be great encouragement. It lets him show off, or whatever.”

“Guys, hey!” Kaveh greets enthusiastically as he slides into the seat next to Diluc. The blond is visibly out of breath and he flops dramatically when he sits.

“Phew, I was almost late,” he sighs, turning to Tighnari and Diluc. “Tighnari told me you’d be here today, Diluc! You’ve never come before, right?”

“No,” he confirms, nodding.

“Do you know much about volleyball?” Kaveh inquires, tilting his head.

“The basics, like how to score. There are positions though, right? I don’t know any of that.”

“Oh, Kaveh can tell you all about those. He got really into volleyball after watching a bunch of Alhaitham’s games,” Tighnari adds fondly.

“Go ahead. They’re still setting up anyway, aren’t they?”

Kaveh nods happily to himself, then begins.

“So, Ajax is an outside hitter, which means he’s the main offensive position, basically. Alhaitham’s a middle blocker, so he tries to block the ball from getting onto their side. Cyno’s a libero, so—”

His rambling continues on until a referee whistle indicates the start of the game. It’s honestly impressive how much Kaveh has learned about the sport, despite being wholly uninterested in playing any himself.

Nearly as soon as the game does start, it’s easy to see why Ajax is in the main offence position. He’s a powerhouse, hitting hard enough that Diluc wonders absentmindedly how the fingers of those blocking aren’t getting jammed or broken.

His presence commands attention, and Diluc can’t look away. While the Ajax he has seen so far is undeniably charming, this version of him—serious, confident, determined—is a different kind of attractive. It’s all too easy to understand why Kaveh has gotten so into watching Alhaitham play, he realizes.

He has it bad, doesn’t he?

They win the first set with a large lead, Ajax making scoring the twenty-fifth point seem effortless. He pumps his fist, then turns to Diluc.

Not a word is exchanged between them, only gestures. Ajax gives him a thumbs up, and Diluc replies with a nod and a smile.

“I told you he’d take it as a chance to show off,” Tighnari mutters, though there’s no irritation in his voice.

“Pathetic, like I said,” Kuni huffs.

“They’re all going all-out today, but Ajax really is playing like a madman,” Kaveh agrees, a finger on his chin in thought. “That’s good, though.”

“Didn’t you say today’s game is important, Tighnari? I’m probably not much of the reason he’s trying hard,” Diluc adds in.

He receives three very blank stares in response. Message received, he thinks.

With a short break between sets, Kaveh uses the chance to continue his earlier ramble. The team is in high spirits, stretching and chatting amongst themselves.

The second set doesn’t go nearly as smoothly as the first one. They start with a similar big lead, but halfway through, a late attempt at saving the ball gets Sethos pulled from the court with two quickly-bruising fingers. For as much as Kuni had acted like he didn’t care earlier, he’s the first to rush down to the team’s bench and check on Sethos’ state.

Not only does having to sub in another player hurt their plays, but the injury seems to have reawakened everyone’s pre-game anxieties, the tense atmosphere returning.

Despite their initial lead, the disrupted flow gives the other team the opportunity to catch up and take the second set. It isn’t over yet, but the sheer difference in the two sets is doing no favours for the team’s conridence.

“Is Sethos okay?” Kaveh asks when Kuni returns to his seat. His eyebrows are still furrowed with concern.

“He said he’ll be fine. He can’t play again today, though.”

“Your orders?”

“Mine and Coach Wriothesley’s.”

This time, their break has none of that same cheeriness as before. It mostly involves everyone checking on Sethos, then looking discouraged at the response.

Ajax seems particularly discouraged at the lost set, his fists clenched as he shifts on his heels. His gaze is downcast, bangs hanging into his eyes.

“Ajax!” Diluc calls down, ignoring the awkward feeling of drawing that much attention to himself.

Ajax’s head snaps up, wide-eyed.

Diluc has no idea what to say. In this situation, what could possibly be appropriate? ‘Good luck’ feels far too patronizing, and telling him to win is probably the opposite of encouraging at this point. But with Ajax staring at him expectantly, he needs to say something.

“You… can do this,” he stammers out, hoping his words sound confident enough to be reassuring.

Lacking any elegance at all, Ajax stands gaping at him. Were his mouth open any wider, his jaw may unhinge. For a few painful seconds, he says absolutely nothing, leaving Diluc regretting his words. Had they not had the intended effect?

Then, Ajax nods resolutely, his shocked expression traded for the determined set of his brows.

“Right!”

Now giddy, Ajax jogs back over to his teammates, preparing to start the last set.

Diluc’s words of encouragement aren’t some magic spell. The team is still anxious, and with Sethos out, they struggle.

Scraping by with a mix of strategic plays and brute force, they win by only a few points.

Kaveh cheers the loudest, clapping and hopping out of his seat.

“Let’s go see them, come on,” he insists, tugging Diluc along and gesturing for Tighnari to follow to the courtside.

Kuni doesn’t join them, busying himself with fretting over Sethos, loudly lecturing him about foolish decision-making and properly caring for his injuries.

The team is still huddled together when they make it down, celebrating and discussing their plans for the now-upcoming tournament. Alhaitham is off to the side, as he tends to be, and Kaveh is quick to head over to him. Alhaitham’s normally fairly expressionless face softens and, though public affection embarrasses Kaveh endlessly, he pulls the blond in for a brief kiss.

Diluc and Tighnari walk up to the team, and as soon as they approach, Ajax’s eyes lock onto Diluc.

Ajax practically sprints at him, pulling him up into a hug and spinning him around. The action quite literally sweeps Diluc off of his feet, leaving him to grab firmly onto Ajax’s shoulders in his surprise. Even with the strength of the action, Ajax is carefully gentle.

“You were right!”

Gentle still, Ajax sets him back on his feet, but lets his hands remain on his waist in something of an embrace.

“Congratulations.”

Ajax looks delighted at the praise, almost buzzing with energy. Kuni’s earlier words about ‘if Ajax had a tail’ echo in his mind. He sees it.

“We were going to go out for lunch to celebrate! Do you guys want to come along?” Ajax asks, directing the question to Kaveh and Tighnari as well.

“Of course,” Kaveh agrees, cheery.

“Don’t I always?” Tighnari replies, not even looking from where he’s talking with Cyno.

“You too, Kuni?” Ajax shouts over. The expression on his face says that he knows exactly what he’s doing.

“Screw off!”

“He’ll come!” Sethos yells back for him, only to get drowned out a second later by Kuni’s hands covering his mouth.

“Diluc?” Ajax says, quieter now. His eyes are hopeful.

“If I wasn’t going to come, I would’ve said no already.”

Clearly, that answer pleases Ajax, who hums happily.

All Diluc can focus on is the fact that Ajax still hasn’t taken his hands off of him, holding him softly but steadily by the waist. His hands sit underneath the jacket, touching him just through the relatively thin layer of the top he wears underneath. He could ask Ajax to let go, or nudge him away, and Ajax would let go in an instant. But he won’t ask him, doesn’t want to, can’t bear to let the contact end.

“Did you drive here?” Ajax’s question makes Diluc raise an eyebrow.

“No, Tighnari drove me. Why?”

“Want to ride with me over to the restaurant?”

“Yes.” He answers so quickly that it surprises even himself.

“Awesome,” Ajax replies, his voice cracking slightly. For all of Ajax’s confident moments, he gets quite nervous at times, too.

They stand around and chat with the team for a while longer before the conservation eventually shifts to the topic of food. Understandably, after having played an intensive game, most of the team members are hungry enough to not want to dawdle around longer.

Ajax opts to drop one of his arms, keeping the other wrapped around Diluc’s waist and pulling him into his side as he leads the way to his car. It’s small and sporty, probably at least a decade older than either of them. Like a perfect gentleman, Ajax opens the passenger door for Diluc, then walks around to the driver’s side.

Diluc can’t help but snort at the display.

There’s some sort of retro pop playing faintly over Ajax’s speakers when he starts the car. It’s so him to listen to that it makes Diluc feel unbearably fond.

“You played really well, by the way. I never said that,” he speaks up part way through their drive. They’d been sitting in silence save for the quiet music, but it had been the comfortable kind anyway.

“All thanks to you, I think,” Ajax laughs, dropping one hand from the steering wheel to squeeze Diluc just above the knee.

Diluc’s breath catches in his chest and he has to force his next exhale to come out steady. Ajax keeps his hand there, resting ever so slightly. Maybe Ajax isn’t even thinking about it. Maybe Diluc is the one making this something more than it is.

Oblivious to Diluc’s crisis, Ajax carries on.

“Have you ever been to Chef Mao’s? It’s where we’re going for lunch.”

“I haven’t,” Diluc manages to choke out, proud of the way his voice only barely strains.

“Oh, you’ll love it. The owner’s great, but his daughter is crazy. She makes the best food I think I’ve ever had, save for my mom’s borscht.”

Of course Ajax is a mama’s boy. Sweet, soft Ajax, how could he be anything else? It’s hopelessly endearing.

“You’ll have to show me what’s best,” Diluc replies, trying very hard to force himself to continue on as normal, as if Ajax’s hand isn’t all but burning where he touches.

“Can do!”

Sure thing, when they arrive and pile in at a table with the entire volleyball team plus guests, the first thing Ajax does is pull out a menu and ramble off his favourite things to Diluc.

He settles on a spicy stir fry with a sauce and shengjiang mantou that Ajax insists they have to split.

They’re crowded around a few tables, a large enough crowd to take up most of the space in the quaint little restaurant. He’s next to Alhaitham, who he exchanges a few brief words with, which is nice, seeing as they are, in fact, friends. While they talk, Ajax loosely throws an arm around Diluc’s shoulders, even as he talks to his own teammates.

“Relax, man, he’s all yours,” Sethos laughs, making both Ajax and Diluc flush a little.

“Can’t a guy just show affection without it being weird?” Ajax huffs, shaking his head.

Right. It isn’t weird, and anything making it seem weird is Diluc’s brain twisting it into something it is not.

He doesn’t have long to dwell on it, because their food starts to pour out from the kitchen, getting passed around the tables. When his arrives, Diluc is quick to take a bite.

Ajax hadn’t been lying, it really is incredibly good. His expression must show it, because Ajax laughs at him.

“Good, right?” He asks, then proceeds to start shoveling his own food into his mouth.

Diluc nods.

Strangely, while all of the rest of them had been given chopsticks, there is a fork on Ajax’s plate. Had he asked for one? Maybe he just comes often enough that the staff know he prefers it. The image of Ajax struggling with chopsticks is a funny one.

It strikes him, as they continue to eat, that even with his entire team present, Ajax’s attention seems focused on Diluc. Sure, he talks with his team, but his eyes always seem to end up fixed back on him again.

The mixed signals are driving him insane. Everyone around him seems to think Ajax has feelings for him, but Ajax has done nothing to confirm that. He’s just friendly; the sort of guy that’s touchy with everyone. Ajax himself has said his affection wasn’t anything weird.

Diluc hates feeling like this, the horrid uncertainty that comes with it and the lack of confidence in his own thoughts and feelings.

Ajax walks him to his door after they eat. Of course he does, always the perfect gentleman.

Only after Ajax has left does Diluc realize he’d never taken his jacket back. So Diluc had just worn his jacket for his entire time out with absolutely no reason.

He throws the damn thing in his closet and groans, flopping onto his bed. It’s horribly dramatic, making him feel even worse, like he’s some moping teenager.

How do people deal with having crushes? He sees why they’re called crushes. He wants to crush something. Preferably himself.

“Diluc?” Kazuha calls through his bedroom door, sounding as though he’d just woken up. Probably, seeing as Diluc had somewhat slammed the closet door shut.

“What?” He calls back.

“Everything okay?”

“Perfectly.”

Kazuha hums, and Diluc sees his doorknob turn, then stop, like Kazuha had decided against opening it.

“Just… call if you need something.”

“Thanks.”

(Ajax never does take the jacket back.)

—

Diluc may have made his worst decision yet.

It’s a few weeks later, meaning that finals season is approaching. He’s been far busier, and so has Ajax, yet somehow, they have still been seeing each other nearly every day. He’s been seeing Ajax more than his own brother.

Don’t consider the implications of that, he thinks to himself.

“So, let me get this straight,” Tighnari starts, staring hard at Diluc from across the table. The four of them—Kaeya, Kaveh, Tighnari, and himself—have met up in the cafeteria for lunch, seeing as they were all on campus anyway.

“There’s nothing to get straight about this situation, it’s pretty gay,” Kaeya pipes up, sounding very proud of himself.

“If I have to hear you make one more joke like that, I will bash my head into this table,” Diluc grumbles, promptly met with protests from Kaveh.

“Anyway, as I was saying,” Tighnari cuts back in, sighing. “Ajax told you he was trying to study for a math test, so you offered to help him out, because you took the class last semester?”

“He was stressed because his professor grades hard and he’s had almost no time to study. It’s Dr. Haoran—you know, Dr. Zandik’s husband. If you don’t solve a single thing his exact way, he’ll give you zero marks for a whole question,” Diluc justifies, crossing his arms.

“That must be some household rule for them. Dr. Zandik is crazy. I swear, on our chem midterm, more than half the class failed,” Kaeya explains with a shudder.

“You’re not even in any sort of major related to math!” Tighnari exclaims, hands thrown up.

“And I’m literally a math tutor for the school,” Kaveh adds. “You could have just had him ask me.”

“Instead, you offered your help.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And you’re going over to his house this afternoon.”

“Yes.”

“Alone.”

“…Yes.”

“You are going to be in your crush’s house alone for an unspecified amount of time.”

“I don’t see why this is so crazy. I’m just helping him.”

Tighnari face palms, Kaveh sighs, and Kaeya shakes his head.

“What?” Diluc grumbles. None of them are answering him.

“If you don’t at least kiss tonight, I’m going to lose it,” Kaveh says.

“I’ve been losing it seeing these two dance around each other for however long it’s been now,” Kaeya mutters.

“I’m going to his apartment. What else do you three want from me?”

“You literally live in the same building, I can’t believe this is the first time you’re properly visiting him,” Tighnari replies.

“I see him plenty anyway.”

“Just update us on how it goes, okay?” Kaveh asks, a little gentler in tone.

Diluc rolls his eyes.

A few hours later, he finds himself knocking at Ajax’s door.

Ajax swings the door open with a cheery wave, gesturing for Diluc to come in. Unsurprisingly, Ajax is in a hideous graphic shirt featuring some cartoon character and a pair of loose sweats. Diluc hates how the horrid fashion always works for him.

“Welcome, welcome!” Ajax exclaims, closing the door after Diluc.

The interior of the apartment is nice. He has a lot of posters and random decor, but it’s simplistic enough to not be overcrowded. Every surface is spotless. Had he cleaned before Diluc came over?

“So, I was planning on ordering dinner later. How’s it sound if we study for a couple hours then order some food? Unless you want to go home for dinner, of course,” Ajax rushes out. He pulls out a chair at the counter for Diluc to sit in, papers sprawled out in front of where proceeds to sit.

“Sure,” Diluc agrees, taking a seat as well.

“Sweet!”

The math isn’t terribly hard stuff, given that the class is low-level. It doesn’t seem to be hard for Ajax either. Once everything is explained, he’s quick to get it, tapping his pencil then scrawling down the answer. He’s a good listener and a fast learner, thankfully.

“Have you just been too busy to study any of this? You seem to know what you’re doing,” Diluc comments after a while of watching Ajax work and checking over the questions.

“Pretty much. Between my other classes, volleyball, and swimming, it gets crazy. At least it’s the off-season for swimming competitions right now. But, yeah. Admittedly, math has been my lowest priority,” Ajax explains, scratching the back of his head.

“What is your major anyway? What do you need math for?” Diluc realizes he’s never asked.

“Oh, sports med—I’m trying to be a physical therapist. So, I need a few math credits.”

“A physical therapist… it fits.”

“What, because I’m an athlete?”

Diluc shrugs.

“It just suits you.”

“Ah, I guess?” Ajax replies, tilting his head. “I had a really bad injury when I was younger, so I want to be able to help people the way my physical therapists helped me.”

There’s a hint or vulnerability in the way Ajax says it.

“What happened?” Diluc asks, tentative. He doesn’t want to be invasive, but he wants to know more about the other man.

“It’s a long story,” Ajax sighs, biting down on his bottom lip. “I mean, I don’t mind sharing. It’s a little heavy, though.”

“If you’d like to share, I’ll listen.”

Ajax taps his pencil again, thinking.

“I had some hard times when I was young, so when I was fourteen, I tried to run away. Long story short, it was the middle of the night and I fell down a hill pretty badly. Broke a femur and a bunch of other bones.”

Diluc winces at the description, putting a hand on Ajax’s shoulder in a gesture that he hopes is comforting.

“Check this out,” Ajax says, rolling down the band of his sweatpants to his knees. Sure enough, a thick scar dotted with the distinct lines of stitches starts from just above his knee and continues under the line of his boxers. With the length of shorts Ajax usually wears, Diluc has never noticed it before.

“I’m sorry you experienced that,” he whispers, unsure of what else to say.

“It’s okay now! Barely ever gives me trouble anymore, unless I’m really hard on my legs or something,” Ajax shrugs off, but there’s something softer there. “My physical therapists helped me relearn to walk, and are the main reason I can even still do any of the stuff I love. I want to do that kind of thing. Heavy reason for a major, right?”

“I understand. It’s what you want to do with your life,” Diluc replies, thumb tracing a circle over Ajax’s shoulder blade. “I have similarly emotional reasons for my choice of major. It only makes sense for something like that to matter to you.”

“Can I ask yours?” Ajax questions, careful to keep his tone gentle.

Diluc hesitates, then nods.

“Has Kaeya told you about our father?”

“That he passed away a few years ago?”

“Yes,” Diluc confirms, clearing his throat so as to not get choked up.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Don’t be, that isn’t why I’ve brought it up.”

This wasn’t what he’d been expecting their conversation to turn into when he came, but he doesn’t hate the direction it’s taken. Seeing someone’s vulnerability and being vulnerable in turn is a nice feeling, somehow.

“You’re a psychology major, right?”

“Yes. I want to be a trauma therapist. If Kaeya and I hadn’t had each other when our father died, I have no idea what we would have done. If other people need someone to be there for them, I’d like to fill that spot.”

“You’re right, our reasons are pretty similar,” Ajax hums, giving Diluc a soft smile. “That’s a really admirable choice, considering what you’ve been through. And for what it’s worth, I think you’ll do great.”

Diluc smiles back, feeling a sense of relief at having told Ajax. He can trust Ajax with this, with anything, it feels like.

“Maybe now’s a good time to break and order dinner,” Ajax suggests, checking the time on his phone.

Despite the somber mood of the topics, the atmosphere between them remains light and comfortable. They’re quickly able to shift to looking at restaurants, eventually deciding on ordering a pizza to share. It doesn’t take long to arrive, and when it does, they relocate to Ajax’s couch.

“Want to watch something while we eat?” Ajax asks, nodding toward the television as he sits.

“What can we watch?” Diluc asks, settling in beside him.

“I dunno,” Ajax shrugs, picking up the remote and flicking through some options. “Nature documentary?”

God, Diluc is crushing badly.

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

Ajax puts on some documentary about antarctic wildlife, cooing affectionately whenever cute animals come onto screen, but overall seeming more focused on devouring his pizza slices.

Diluc laughs at him while he eats his own much slower, paying attention to the documentary. It is interesting to learn about the courtship of penguins, of course.

All things considered, they finish their food quite quickly—Ajax especially. Diluc finds himself too comfortable to suggest they go back to studying right away; they’d done plenty for the evening anyway. So, he gets comfortable leaning against the back of the couch, sitting just close enough to Ajax that the fabric of their shirts lay atop one another.

Ajax yawns and stretches his arms, letting one settle around Diluc’s shoulders. It’s quite possibly the most cliché move he could have chosen to pull. Unfortunately, it works, and Diluc shifts his weight to rest partially on Ajax.

Pressed so close like this, he can hardly focus on the documentary playing. Letting his eyes wander, he looks up to Ajax. Blue eyes are fixed on his face, still, as though they had been solely there for a while. How long had Ajax been watching him instead of the show?

At this distance, he can see all of the freckles dotting Ajax’s skin, and feel the flutter of his breath against his face.

Ajax is unfairly handsome, even so close up. Diluc’s chest tightens.

It’s impossible to tell which of them leans in first.

All he knows is that one second, they had been apart, and the next, their lips are connected.

Ajax’s lips are warm and soft against his own, his mouth moving insistently. Diluc acts with a desperation he’s never known himself to have, uncaring for coordination or grace. His teeth catch on Ajax’s bottom lip, making the man part his lips with a gasp. He swallows it up greedily, only to make a similar noise when Ajax presses his tongue into his mouth.

They break for just long enough that Ajax can slam the remote down to turn the television off and pull Diluc into his lap. Diluc takes the opportunity to pull that awful shirt off of Ajax, his hands settling over the defined muscles of Ajax’s back.

Their lips meet again and Ajax shifts him even closer, a hand tangling in Diluc’s hair and pulling it loose from his ponytail. His other hand falls low, the tips of his fingers pushing just under the edge of Diluc’s waistband to rest on the bare skin of his hip.

In turn, Diluc runs one hand up Ajax’s torso and lets it stop over the ridge of his abs. Ajax is hot, both in temperature and in attractiveness, his warm mouth and warm skin the only sensations Diluc can focus on.

They break again, and this time, Ajax acts before Diluc can think to. He undoes the top two buttons of Diluc’s shirt, enough to expose down to his collarbones, and pushes him to lay flat on the couch. When Ajax’s mouth lands over his neck and the tips of teeth scrape his skin, Diluc keens, high and breathy and so unlike himself that he flushes down to his chest.

Ajax clearly takes that as his sign to continue, leaving heated kisses in a trail from Diluc’s jaw down to the jut of his collarbone. After a while of that, Diluc pulls Ajax back into a kiss with a hand gripping his jaw, not even trying to hide his desire any longer.

Trying to pull Ajax impossibly closer, he wraps a leg over Ajax’s waist, using it to pull him down even more. Like this, Ajax is practically laying on top of him, though his forearms brace him up just enough that he doesn’t crush him.

Unfortunately, they part for breath eventually, staring into each other’s eyes when they do. Ajax is flushed and his pupils have swallowed up any blue of his irises, his hair messy and a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his skin. His chest heaves and there’s a faint thrilled tremble to his entire body.

Diluc is sure he fares no better, if not worse.

“Diluc,” Ajax breaths against his lips, as though he’s barely holding himself back.

“Ajax,” he replies, sounding ruined even to his own ears.

“Stay the night.”

“Yeah.”

Ajax kisses him again, more open mouths slotting desperately against each other than anything of an actual kiss. One of his hands to Diluc’s collarbone, playing with the fabric of his collar.

“Can I take it off of you?” Ajax breathes against his lips between kisses, hardly wanting to stop long enough to speak.

“Yeah,” Diluc agrees, finding it hard to even speak. He shivers when Ajax begins to maneuver the shirt off of him, raising his torso to help shimmy out of it. Fingers trace up his bare sides, the touch downright electrifying. Ajax has pulled back properly now, looking at him with pure admiration.

“Hold on, fuck,” Ajax curses, unfairly attractive in this scenario. His voice is hoarse, wrecked from just what they’ve done.

Cradling a hand underneath Diluc’s head and another around his hip, Ajax lifts him, steadying him against his body as they stand. Diluc threads a hand into Ajax’s hair and keeps his legs tightly around his hip, diving back in to kiss him again.

They make their way, albeit slowly and unsteadily, to Ajax’s room. Somehow, they make it without any trouble.

Ajax lays Diluc down, crawling over top of him. Their legs tangle together, chests nearly pressed against one another. Ajax’s fingers skirt along the bottom edge of Diluc’s binder.

“Do you want to stop here?” Ajax asks, gentle and hesitant. It makes Diluc feel light, as though he’s floating, and the only thing grounding him is the heat of Ajax’s skin on his.

“Don’t you dare stop now.”

—

Diluc wakes up the next morning wearing Ajax’s clothes and laying in Ajax’s bed. His pants and binder are folded nicely on the nightstand, his other layers likely still discarded in the living room somewhere.

He stretches, taking everything in. The bed smells like Ajax and is still warm beside him, indicating that the other likely hadn’t been out of it long. After a while of letting himself lay around, he wanders into the bathroom, taking himself in. His shirt is some old oversized and well-loved thing, and the soft pair of sweats hang loose enough on his hips that they’re a struggle to keep up. Most prominently, though, are the dark spots decorating his neck and chest.

His cheeks flush red all over again at the reminder.

After running his fingers through his hair to brush it out and splashing some water on his face to compose himself, he walks out into the apartment.

Ajax is in front of the stove, cooking something that smells incredibly appetizing. He’s still very much shirtless, clad in only a pair of pyjama pants. Diluc knocks into his back, letting his arms hang loosely over the tops of Ajax’s shoulders.

“I was going to bring you breakfast in bed,” Ajax hums, turning to plant a kiss on Diluc’s forehead.

“You could have woken me up.”

“You looked too cute all bundled up in my bed.”

When Diluc looks away after the compliment, Ajax chuckles, turning back to focus on the food he’s making.

“What’s for breakfast?” Diluc asks through a yawn, still leaning most of his weight against Ajax’s back.

“Pancakes and eggs.”

“Sounds perfect.”

They settle into comfortable silence as Ajax finishes up with cooking and plating their food, then they take it out to the couch once again. Sure enough, some items are still scattered around the room, clearly low on Ajax’s list of priorities.

The food tastes as good as it had smelled. Maybe part of that has to do with the fact that Diluc is terribly hungry, but he thinks it may be some of the best breakfast he’s ever had.

Once they finish, Ajax lays back against the pillows and opens his arms to Diluc, who settles against his chest.

“So,” Ajax hums, carding his fingers through Diluc’s hair. It’s still messy, given as he hadn’t properly brushed it earlier.

“So,” Diluc echoes, lips against Ajax’s neck. It certainly isn’t with the same ferocity Ajax has demonstrated the night before, but he lets himself place soft kisses on the skin there.

“I want to be clear that I had feelings behind all of that,” Ajax says, so softly and sincerely that Diluc feels his blood thrum. He continues to gently play with a strand of Diluc’s hair. If his touches last night had been electrifying, these are as gentle as a receding tide.

After weeks upon weeks of uncertainty, hearing it said so plainly is exactly what Diluc had needed.

Ajax has feelings for him. It’s relieving and nerve-racking all at once. No more sitting and wondering what Ajax’s affection means, what to make of it and what to do with himself. However, the confirmation of Ajax’s feelings means something new for them entirely.

But, according to their friends, they’ve already been acting like a couple. Maybe all this will do is let them put a label on it. Diluc flusters himself by thinking of getting to label Ajax as his boyfriend. What will it change?

He must be silent for too long, because Ajax clears his throat, shifting where he sits. Diluc puts one hand over Ajax’s.

“I did, too,” Diluc replies, equally as softly spoken as Ajax had been. He can’t say it as plainly as Ajax did, the words catching in his throat. Ajax seems to understand regardless, turning his hand to lace theirs together.

“Do you want to be with me, Diluc?”

Diluc smiles, heart beating out of his chest.

“Of course I do.”

“So I can call you my boyfriend, then?”

He can’t see Ajax’s face from where he’s buried in his neck, but he’s sure the other man is smiling wide from the sound of his voice.

“Yes, Ajax.”

Ajax pumps his fist and cheers to himself, giddy in that endearing way of his.

“Later, I’m bragging to literally everyone that I know,” Ajax says proudly.

Diluc can’t help but laugh, pulling back to look at Ajax’s face. Sure enough, he has that endearingly stupid smile on his face. It’s cute enough that Diluc wants to kiss him then and there.

“What’s so funny? Anyone would brag about getting to date you!”

“Then I have plenty of bragging to do myself,” Diluc replies, so sweetly fond that he hardly recognizes his own voice. Ajax has a way of bringing that out of him.

Unable to resist the urge longer, he leans in to kiss Ajax, a hand cupping his cheek. Ajax responds eagerly, chuckling against Diluc’s lips and wrapping his arms around him.

It hits Diluc, that he’s kissing his boyfriend, Ajax. Who has he become in just a few months? Ridiculous. Crushes and feelings are ridiculous.

Though, he supposes, he doesn’t mind being ridiculous if it’s for Ajax.

“Shit, I have to tell someone, or I’m going to go crazy,” Ajax mumbles.

“We can just show them instead, let them find out for themselves.”

“Yeah, okay, yeah. Best idea you’ve had.”

“Ajax?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up and keep kissing me.”

Ajax does exactly that.

—

When Diluc sits down for lunch the next day with Tighnari, Kaeya, and Kaveh again, the three of them stare at him for a moment, then Tighnari holds out his hands.

Kaeya and Kaveh both drop a bill into his open hands.

“Did you guys make a bet?” Diluc questions, already knowing the answer.

“Yep, and I won,” Tighnari replies smugly.

“I said you two would be too scared to do anything,” Kaeya answers with a shrug.

“I thought you’d just kiss, maybe once,” Kaveh huffs, groaning at the loss of his few dollars.

“I’d appreciate if you don’t make any more bets about my relationship,” Diluc says, shaking his head.

“No way,” Kaeya whispers, his mouth open wide.

“Your relationship?” Tighnari echoes, his eyebrows raised.

“Yes, my relationship. With Ajax. My boyfriend.”

“Finally!” Kaeya shouts, garnering a couple glares from people at nearby tables.

“You need to do a better job with the concealer, by the way,” Kaveh comments quietly, jutting his thumb toward Diluc’s neck. Diluc clears his throat, ignoring the way his cheeks burn.

“Speaking from experience,” Tighnari digs.

“This is about Diluc, not me!” Kaveh practically squawks, pointing an accusatory finger in his direction.

Diluc gets distracted from defending himself by a text notification on his phone.

‘i think the test went well!<3’ Ajax has typed, followed by a blurry selfie of him giving a thumbs-up. Even with the bad quality, he can see Ajax’s signature toothy grin stretched across his face.

‘proud of you’ Diluc texts back, aware that he’s being gawked at for the soft smile on his face.

‘come to mine after your class?’ Ajax replies.

‘miss me already?’

‘i miss you always!’

Diluc’s heart flutters at the simple words.

‘see you then.’

“Good for you, Diluc,” Kaeya says, patting his brother on the shoulder.

“Yeah,” Diluc hums in agreement. “Good for me.”